Linux Distro in old tablet
In Part 1, I talked about curiosity and how Termux turned an old Android tablet into something usable again. If you missed that post here is the link Part-1
But Termux was never the end goal.
What I really wanted was this:
A real Linux system. The kind that behaves like a server, not a phone.
That’s where Debian inside Termux comes in.
🧠 Why I Needed Debian (Not Just Termux)
Termux is powerful, but it still speaks Android first.
I wanted:
apt, not pkg
A standard Linux filesystem (/etc, /usr, /bin)
Tools behaving exactly like cloud servers
Muscle memory that transfers to real infra
Debian gives you that — clean, boring, reliable.
And boring Linux is the best Linux.
🧩 How Debian Runs Without Root (The Magic)
This setup does not:
Root the device ❌
Replace Android ❌
Break system security ❌
Instead, it uses PRoot.
Think of it like this:
🟢 Termux = Host / Interface
🐧 Debian = Guest / Workspace
PRoot creates a fake root filesystem where programs believe they’re running on real Linux.
No kernel hacks.
No risk.
Just clean isolation.
🚀 Installing Debian (One-Time, Persistent Setup)
From inside Termux:
pkg install proot-distro
proot-distro install debian
proot-distro login debian
That’s the moment it clicks.
You’re not emulating Linux.
You’re living inside it.
To exit:
exit
Debian doesn’t disappear.
It waits.
💾 Persistence: Why This Feels Like a Real Machine
This Debian setup:
✅ Survives reboots
✅ Survives closing Termux
✅ Lives inside internal storage
❌ Disappears only if Termux is uninstalled
That persistence changes everything.
You stop “testing”.
You start using it daily.
🧬 Architecture Reality Check (32-bit Truth)
This tablet runs a 32-bit userspace (armhf / armv7l).
That single fact explains a lot.
What it means in practice:
❌ 64-bit binaries won’t run
❌ Many modern prebuilt tools silently fail
❌ Neovim + LazyVim = nope
Tool Choices Under Constraints
Heavy tools were not an option.
So I leaned into:
CLI-first workflow
Lightweight editors
Zero background bloat
Why I Chose Micro 📝
Micro turned out to be perfect:
Fast even on 2GB RAM
Works on 32-bit ARM
-
Modern features without heaviness
- Mouse support, plugins, shell commands inside editor
🖥️ How Debian Feels on a Tablet
Honestly?
Like a tiny server in my hands.
No distractions.
No notifications.
Just:
The shell
The filesystem
My thoughts
This environment forced me to:
Read error messages properly
Understand architecture limits
Install only what I truly need
Learn Linux instead of decorating it
*️⃣ Final Take
This is entire process of making Android tablet into Linux helped me to learn lot about Linux and raised interest in System programming will continue to explore more on Low-Level programming soon ~♾️
📦 Full Setup & Configs
I’ve documented everything — Termux + Debian setup, shell configs, editor choice, fonts, fixes — in my GitHub repo:
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